Certainly Alan Ball’s job isn’t an easy one. As the executive producer of HBO’s “True Blood,” his year is spent overseeing every aspect of the series. That means plenty of long days and night making sure the writing, the acting and the visual effects continue to make the show one of the most buzzed-about on television. There is a reward, though. To make the show right, that means he’s got to watch it too. A lot.

“It’s tough because so much has happened before, and I also have this season and parts of next season in my head too,” Ball confesses. Still, by his own admission, he has to know what’s happened in order to figure out what will happen. With this in mind, XfinityTV asked Ball for his list of essential episodes worth going back to in order to prepare for the fourth-season premiere this Sunday, June 26. (Remember, immediately after the premiere, you can watch the second episode on xfinityTV.com and your iPad or iPhone with the Xfinity TV app a week before it airs.) Here are the boss’s recommendations of shows you need to watch – and why:

Season 1, Episode 2

“This is the first time Sookie (Anna Paquin) drank Bill’s (Stephen Moyer) blood, and the first time they kissed.”

Season 1, Episode 5

“This has the Civil War flashback and told how Bill was made. Also, it’s where Gran was found dead.”

Season 2, Episode 4

“In this episode, Maryann (Michelle Forbes) threw Tara a (Rutina Wesley) birthday party and you finally got a sense of what she was up to.”

Season 2, Episode 9

“The key moment was when Eric’s maker, Godric (Allan Hyde) went into the sun.”

Season 2, Episode 12

“When Maryann was summoning Dionysus, that set the stage for a lot of what has happened since.”

Episode 3, Season 3

“Bill had hate sex with his maker, Lorena (Mariana Klaveno), and breaks her neck. We found out that that’s just really good sex for a vampire.”

Season 3, Episode 5

“This one featured the moment where Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) realized Russell Edgington (Denis O’Hare) is the man who killed his family. We had a lot of fun with the flashbacks to Eric and the Vikings.”

Season 3, Episode 9

“Eric killed Russell’s lover in this episode. Meanwhile, Sookie and Debbie Pelt (Brit Morgan) had their big fight scene, which was great. And Sookie and Bill came together here.”

Season 3, Episode 12

“We had the reveal that Jesus (Kevin Alejandro) is a brujo (a witch). He and Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) had already had their V trip, which is also important to remember for this season.”

Reminder: Immediately after the June 26 season premiere, you can watch the second episode of “True Blood” on xfinityTV.com and also on the iPad or iPhone with the Xfinity TV app one week before it’s on TV.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.